Sarah Crouch takes title in Bolder Boulder women's citizens race

After putting in over 12 months of running at elevation, Sarah Crouch thought she had done the necessary preparation in order to have a solid showing at her first Bolder Boulder.

She was certainly correct. Crouch, 24, crossed the line with a time of 35 minutes and 11.72 seconds to win the women's citizens race. Boulder's Melissa Dock came in second with a time of 35:42.22.

A professional distance runner since 2011, Crouch races for Zap Fitness. She resides in South Lake Tahoe, California, which sits 6,200
feet above sea level. So despite being new to the Bolder Boulder scene, the thin Colorado air did little to prevent her from claiming the top spot of the event.

"I've been training at altitude for a year, so I figured it would be OK to run it this year, " Crouch said. "You don't really want to run this unless you've been at altitude for a while.

"I started out hot, the pace started out hot, I knew it would. I was 5:18 through the (first) mile, so I thought I should back it off a little bit. But I think I averaged a 5:35 pace."

Crouch's average mile was in fact 5:40, but still 5 seconds quicker than any other women in the field. Having built a healthy lead by the time she reached the final stretch of the race, Crouch was able to cruise to victory with a time of 5:50.50 in Mile 6.

Dock hardly saw Crouch throughout, clocking in at the first mile marker well behind the winner with a time of 5:34.46. The runner-up finish comes just weeks after Dock claimed first place at the Kohl 5K in Broomfield, where she nearly set a course record with a time of 17:52.

The victory is but one of several recent wins that Crouch has added to her resume. Crouch took top billing at the Raleigh Relays in March,
finishing the 5K track event in 15:58.36 in her "opener" for the season. Prior to that, she also took first place at the Double Road Race in San Juan Batista, Calif. Crouch set a women's world record by completing that 15K race in 52:23.57 in September.

The Bolder Boulder was just one of a number of races Crouch has on her docket for the season. She has plans to compete in several events in the coming months including the Grandma's half-marathon in Minnesota and the 10K AJC Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta. And judging by Monday
performance, Crouch appears set to enter those races in peak condition.

Women's citizens race winner Sarah Crouch crosses the finish line during the 2014 Bolder Boulder in Folsom Field on Monday May 26 Memorial Day in Boulder.
For more photos and video go to www.dailycamera.com (Paul Aiken)

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